Caption: Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery, mission STS-48, from Kennedy Space Centre, Florida. The take off occurred on September 12th 1991 at 7:11pm and the mission lasted six days. Five astronauts formed the crew: John Creighton the commander, Kenneth Reightler the pilot and three mission specialists Charles D. Gemar, James F. Buchli and Mark N. Brown. The main goal of this mission was the release of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). It represents the first stage of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. UARS should provide a complete set of data covering all the factors responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer in the stratosphere.